Mark Fields Quotations

I think to one degree or another we have been arrogant in the past.

We remain very committed to the low-cost facility.

How big the segment will be, that's going to depend on what happens with fuel prices and customer preferences.

American car manufacturers are facing a third and ten situation.

I asked Bill Ford and Jim Padilla for not only the best and the brightest leaders in our company, but for the kind of people who can work as one team on one agenda. That agenda is to turn around our North American operation with a team that knows how to win, an innovative product line-up that wins in the marketplace and a brand that has strong emotional appeal. We now have in place an outstanding group of leaders in The Americas, and they already have hit the ground running to turn the business around.

Things were starting to come together. We did it with both arms and a leg tied behind our backs.

Our approach is not thinking how much do we shave dealer margins. Our approach is that as we come up with our products going forward that they have a strong point of view in the marketplace, that they represent good value and good quality to customers so that dealers can earn a good (margin) on them.

Idling plants and reducing staff are obviously very difficult decisions for all of us, but they also are necessary actions to help restore our North American business to profitability no later than 2008.

There's no question that some of our new products reflect what was efficient for us to build rather than what the customer may want.

We have to get a stronger message behind that.